Toy building



1. B. cnossv AND E. c. LOWE.

TOY BUILDING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1 I911.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919,

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TOY BUILDING.

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JOHN B. CROSBY, OF LAKE BLUFF, AND ELMO G. LOWE, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

TOY BUILDING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 23,1919.

Application filed November 1, 1917. Serial No. 199,632.

To aZZ 'wh0m it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN B. CRosBY and ELMO C. Lown, citizens of the United States,

and residents, respectively, of Lake Bluff, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, and of Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Buildings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relatesto toy buildings.

The main object is to construct, in a novel manner, buildings of difierent descriptions with the same blocks.

And another object is to provide a novel toy and at the same time an educational building equipment.

In our construction a main portion is erected upon which may be superimposed additional stories, together with a roof, all of which structure is then looked together by means of the chimneys. The structure thus erected will make either a diflerent design of cottage or bungalow, or may be made into a store building, or the plan could becarried out further and any additional number of toy buildings could be erected.

Another advantage in our construction is that it is designed in correct architectural proportions so that a child is not only taught as to the dift'erentkinds of building construc tion, but also as to correct architectural proportions; thus the scheme serves as an educational as well as an amusement device.

And a further advantage in our toy building construction is that when the structure is complete it is locked together as a solid 'unit and may be picked up and carried about from place to place without danger of falling apart.

In the drawings we have shown three distinct types of building construction, the first representing a cottage, the second a bungalow and the third a store building.

Our invention will be further and better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the main or base portion of the building- Fig. 2 is a plan vlew of the main or base portion, parts being in section and taken along line 22 of Fig. 4:;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a cottage; Fig. 4c is "a side elevation of the same cottage; i

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken in the plane of line 5-5.of Fig. 4;

roof of the Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a bungagig. 7 is an elevation of the bungalow, an

Fig.8 is a view in perspective showing a store construction.

Referring now specifically to the drawings In which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout, and particularly with reference to Fig. 1, 10 is the floor section of the main portion to which is attached by means of a grooved joint the vertical wall 11, also the vertical wall 12 which is joined to the wall 11 by means of a dove-tailed joint 13. 14 is a vertical wall having a groove at its bottom to which is attached the floor portion 10. 15 is a vertical side wall which rests upon the floor portion 10 and is joined at either end to the side walls 11, and 1 1. By means of four clove-tailed joints 13,16, 17 and 18, the vertical members 14:

and 11 are [operatively joined and made rigid. Each of the members 11 and 14 have thetop portions19 and 20 extending outwardly to form supporting means for the porch. Portions 21, 22 extend outwardly to form bases for the porch section of the cottages and a portion of the floor for the store building. A transverse member 23 extends across from the lower portions 21 and 22 of each of the members 11 and 14: and ish'eld by means of dowel pins inserted in the holes 24 and 25. Chimneys 26, 27 are attached by means of dovetailed joints to the members 11 and 14 and are held to the floor member 10 by means of' 1 wooden dowel pins 28, 29 inserted through the chimney and extending into the floor portions 10. These chimneys 26, 27 extend upwardly above the roof and form the looking means which holds the lower portion and the upper portion of the structure together. Transverse notches 30 in the chimney serve to hold the upper member of the roof in position when the cottage is complete and through notches 31, 31 in the chimneys, hold the roof members of the bungalow in position. At the rear end of the and 5 which show the completed cottage, it will be seen that gable members 8636 are set upon each of the vertical members 11, 14. Each of these gable members has a groove in its side adapted to slip over the dove-tailed portion of the chimney and 1s thus held in position in the structure. The roof members 37, 37 extend across from each of the gable members to the other and are held in position by means of the wooden pin 38. Two other roof members 3989 extend across from each of the gable portions to the other and two other roof sections 40, 40 eX- tend across the building on the tops of the gable sections and fit into the notches 30, 30 on each one of the chimneys. A gable member 41 having a dowel pin 42 covered by a roof member 43 forms a dormer window and may be fastened to the roof on either side. lVindow openings 44 may be located at any convenient place in the vertical walls as also may be door openings as at 45. tending across from either of the projected portions 19 and 20 of the members 11 and 14 is ,a support 46 for the roof fastened to the portions 19 and 20 by means of dowel pins inserted in the holes 47, 47, the member 46 being supported and held in position by means of columns 48, 48, which may be of any .shape or contour desired. Extending across from the rear portions of each of the members 11 and 14 is a member 49 similar to the transverse member 46 which forms a support for the lower roof member 37 and is held in position by means of the dowel pins 33 and 50.

It will thus be seen that by the addition to the main portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1, a complete cottage is erected.

Referring now specifically to Figs. 6. and 7 which illustrate a bungalow, we add to the structure shown in Fig. 1 right-angled gable members 51, 51 which rest upon the members 12 and 15. Roof members52, 52 fit on either side of the gable members 51, 51 and into the transverse notches 31, 31 of the chimneys 26 27 and are thus held securely in position, the chimneys remaining in the original position in which they are shown in Fig. 1 and fastened to the floor member 10 by means of the dowel pins 28 and 29. Resting in notches 53, 53 in the top of the member 15 and extending outward therefrom are rafters 54, 54 the outer ends of which rest in the notches in the transverse member 46. Resting in similar notches in the member 12 are also rafters 55, 55 which rest in notches cut in the top of the member 49. Small gable portions are adapted to fit on the walls which form the chamber 10 and are covered over by one end of one of the main roof portions 52 and by another roof portion 56. One of the columns 48 is inserted under the end portion 20 of the member 14 and serves to support this end portion 20 and is held in position by 1,31c,sso

means of a dowel pin inserted through the opening 47 in the portion 20 into a hole in the top of the column 48. A dowel pm is also inserted through the hole 25 of the members 22 and 28 into a hole in the bottom of the column which is thus held in place. Columns 48 may be positio'ned at any convenient place between the members 23 and 46.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 8, a front 56 having door and 'wmdow openings therein, it fitted to the end portions 19 and 20 of the members 11 and 14. A member 57 extends across from the rear ends of the members 11 and 14 and forms the rear portion of the store. A flat roof portion 58 extending directly across from the top of each of the members 11 and 14 forms the rear portion of the roof, the member 57 having a recess 58 cut therein to receive one edge of the roof member 58. Extending across the front portion of the store is another roof member 59, the member 56 having a recess 60 therein which is adapted to receive one edge of the roof member 59. Another roof member 61, the ends of which fit into the recesses 31, 31 in the chimneys 26, 27, rest directly on the top of each of the members 11 and 14. The outside edges of the member 61 are beveled and fit snugly against the beveled edges of each of the members 58 and 59, and thus the whole roof is held securely in position when the member 61 is in proper position.

It will thus be seen that three separate and distinct types of buildings can be erect ed with one set of blocks thus aifording a child considerable scope within which to exercise his idea of building, and the different architectural proportions in general.

For the store construction it would be possible of course to leave out each of the vertical walls 15 and 12 and still the structure would be complete and when each of the structures is complete it will be noted that they are locked securely together sothat destructive force would be required to separate the parts and, in fact, the building may be turned upside down and yet be held securely together. 7

Many modifications will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art of toy building, all of which we consider with in the spirit and scope of our invention.

e claim:

1. In a toy building construction, the combination of a main portion, a secondary portion superimposed thereon, and a vertically extending chimney for securing said portions in locked relation with each other.

2. In a toy building construction, the combination of a main portion consisting of a floor member, vertical wall members secured to said floor member, one pair of said wall members secured at their ends to the other wall members, a secondary portion consisting of gable members and roof members superimposed on said main portion, and a chimney adapted to secure said portions in locked relation with each other.

3. In a toy building, the combination of a floor member, vertical Wall members secured to said floor members, one pair of said Wall members secured at their ends to the other pair of vertical Wall members and in spaced relation With each i other, gable and roof members superimposed on said vertical Wall members, and locking means for securing said Wall members and said gable and roof members together.

4:. In atoy building, the combination of a floor member, tWo pairs of vertical side members, one pair secured to said floor member, the other pair secured at their ends to the other vertical side member and spaced apart from each other, transverse bars secured to one pair of said side members at both ends of said members and supported by vertical columns, gable and roof portions superimposed upon said vertical Walls, and chimneys secured to one pair of said side Walls and to the bottom member, said chimneys having recesses therein to receive and hold said roof members.

5. In a toy building, the combination of a plurality of structural parts, and a chimney forming a locking means between said parts.

6. In a toy building, the combination of a body portion, a roof, and a chimney for locking the body portion and roof in a given relationship.

7 In a toy building, the combination of a main body portion, and a chimney Whereby superstructures of different characters may be secured to said main body portion.

8. In a toy building, the combination of a main body portion, means whereby superstructures of diiferent characters may be secured to said main body portion, and a chimney for locking together said main body portion and any of said superstructures.

9. In'a toy building the combination of a main portion, comprising a floor and two pairs of side Walls, a roof and gable portion superimposed upon said main portion, and chimney portions secured to one pair of said side Walls for locking the structure together.

Signed at Chicago, 111., this 25th day of October, 1917.

JOHN B. CROSBY. ELMO O. LOWE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

